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Is the Volkswagen Scirocco Coming to America?http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2013/07/is-the-volkswagen-scirocco-coming-to-america.html
http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2013/07/is-the-volkswagen-scirocco-coming-to-america.html#commentsTue, 30 Jul 2013 16:32:48 +0000http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/?p=207912Is the Volkswagen Scirocco Coming to America?It’s human nature to want what you can’t have. American car enthusiasts stare longingly across the Atlantic at all the cool and unusual products their European counterparts have access to. Station wagon variants, diesel-powered hatchbacks and a plethora of passenger-friendly multi-purpose vehicles are all just out of reach. The sporty Volkswagen Scirocco coupe is... more]]>

It’s human nature to want what you can’t have. American car enthusiasts stare longingly across the Atlantic at all the cool and unusual products their European counterparts have access to.

Station wagon variants, diesel-powered hatchbacks and a plethora of passenger-friendly multi-purpose vehicles are all just out of reach. The sporty Volkswagen Scirocco coupe is one such car that’s off limits to drivers on this side of the ocean… for now, anyway.

We recently had an opportunity to review a German-spec version of the high-performance Scirocco R after a brief loan from VW. The car is a standout in more ways than one, which makes its unavailability all the more painful.

But after our time with it we had more questions than answers. Why is there a ‘Rocco in the Detroit-area press fleet? Why is it being loaned to journalists? For answers we reached out to Volkswagen’s public relations department for clarification.

When asked if they might sell the Scirocco in North America Mark Gillies, Manager of Product and Technology communications said “We don’t have any plans to offer this current generation Scirocco R in the U.S.… but we are open to looking at future versions of the vehicle for this market.”

It seems likely today’s car is incompatible with American safety standards. Gillies said “It’s just not engineered for this market; it never was.”

But what’s more interesting is what he didn’t say. When pressed about upcoming vehicles PR people almost always respond with the following: “We don’t comment on future product plans.” It’s practically a running joke in the world of automotive journalism. We ask and they parrot back; that’s the way it goes.

Reading the tea leaves, a future version of Scirocco could be headed to the United States. Gillies certainly didn’t say no, and that’s encouraging. The fact that VW is at least open to the idea is even more promising. Sometimes you can say a lot without saying anything at all.